Consultation Response from Helen Davies, of The Byre, Medelfyw Road, Porthdafen, Felinfoel, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire SA14 8NX 31 May 2020 I have lived for over 50 years a short distance away on a small-holding within sight of, what is being described as “Zone C” of the proposed solar power plant. Despite the requirements of the Local Planning Authority for the developer to undertake a Residential Visual Amenity Assessment and despite my having raised objections in the first round of consultations on the grounds of residential visual amenity, no Residential Visual Amenity Assessment of my property was conducted. I still believe these proposals would be a disaster for the precious green belt around Llanelli, and a dangerous precedent. The proposed development is located on or adjacent to a landscape whose visual and sensory qualities have been objectively assessed as being of high quality under Landmap and the adverse impact on landscape is unacceptable. Whilst I support the principles of renewable energy – I believe that solar energy projects of this nature need to be appropriately sized and located, for example on the plentiful brownfield sites which are a legacy of South Wales’ industrial past. The sheer scale of this plan (230 acres of blue plastic 3m high panels and ancillary infrastructure, transformers, inverters, security fencing, CCTV cameras etc) will “industrialise” a very significant swathe of pristine rural landscape (which has been farmed productively for many years as an award winning organic farm) and blight an area of natural beauty that is enjoyed by thousands of residents from Llanelli, Llangennech, Llannon and Hendy, who drive, ride, cycle, jog and walk through its roads and public footpaths. I have considerable sympathy with the local farmers who are objecting to this proposal. Farmers work day and night to produce this country’s food – it is a hard precarious life particularly with the current uncertainties around Brexit and Covid19. The farmers should also be supported as the custodians of the countryside. This proposed development appears to disregard the fact that the agricultural land in this vicinity is among the best in Wales and has been maintained that way through years of careful husbandry in cycles of cultivation. This proposed development will upset the delicate ecological balance for the area’s agriculture and destroy the very landscape which the farmers families have worked so hard to maintain. The economic benefits of this project have been presented in a confusing manner – in all the public presentations (including Llanelli & Llangennech) the publicity materials stated it was an £80 million investment but now I believe the developer is saying that that was a typographical error and it is a £30 million investment – putting aside the number of members of the community who would have been misled by such an error – the “investment” is unlikely to benefit the community or even the region. This project (which will be one of the largest solar power plants in Wales) is not needed nor wanted by our community. There seems to be no element of community benefit which I understand is a strict requirement of Welsh Planning Policy – just profit for a privately-owned French company and an absentee Landlord who lives 50 miles away in Brecon and will not have to live next door to the reality of this massive (230 acre) blight for the next 35 years. The 1 Full Time Equivalent permanent job it will produce is no justification for the untold amount of harm it will cause to the landscape, habitats and cultural heritage of the area. For example, there has been no acknowledgment of the harmful impact that this proposed project will have on the Welsh Language, in an area where most farmers and their families speak welsh – and the apparent oversight of the national strategy of “Cymraeg 2050” or the relevant provisions of the CCC’s Local Development Plan. I urge those involved to reconsider and help us to protect and conserve this special part of rural Llanelli for current and future generations. I sincerely hope this matter will be referred to a Public Inquiry for appropriate scrutiny lest the proposal be allowed to slip through whilst authorities are understandably distracted by the Covid 19 crisis. Yours faithfully, Helen Davies .